the secret to a tender roast

Last weekend, Keith and I had our good friends Chad and Melissa over for dinner. At first I thought about cooking pork chops, but Keith and I always eat this (my hubby's favorite meal) and I was ready to try something new. I decided to cook a pot roast with potatoes, rice and gravy, and salad. I am use to cooking things like this, thanks to my lovely Louisiana roots, but this dinner was quite a challenge. Unless you cook a roast all day, the odds of it coming out tender are slim to none. However, my Aunt told me about this little secret to make a roast tender and very tasty.

Ingredients:
3 or 4 lb. Boneless Chuck Roast (Depending on the amount of people, you may need a bigger/smaller one)

1 - Tsp. Olive Oil

2 - Cans of Coke Zero

2 - Packets of Lipton Onion Soup Mix

1 - 8oz. Bag of frozen Chopped Onions

Tony Chachere's Seasoning

1 - Packet McCormick Pot Roast Seasoning

1 - 8qt. pot

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove roast from packaging. Rub McCormick Pot Roast Seasoning into your roast. Pictured below is what I used. The mix comes with a roast bag; do not use this bag.Add a teaspoon of olive oil to pot. Brown both sides of the roast on the stove top on medium heat. While cooking, season roast with Tony Chachere's. (Season to taste!)
Once roast is brown on both sides, add bag of chopped onions. Pour 2 cans of Coke Zero over roast. Add 2 packets of Lipton Onion Soup Mix. Stir contents together so that coke and soup are mixed. Make sure the roast is completely submerged in liquids.
Place lid on your pot and put into oven. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 6-7 hours.

If you would like to add potatoes (chopped), add them to the pot one hour before roast is finished cooking.

Keep an eye on the roast while it is cooking. It is normal for the liquids (gravy) to evaporate, but if you'd like more gravy, just add a little water while it is cooking. Make sure to have your rice cooking about 30 minutes before the roast is finished so that everything will be ready at the same time.

Ta daaaa! That is all! I know it sounds really gross...adding coke zero and onion soup mix together, but it really makes the roast tender and gives it a fabulous taste! I don't have any pictures from the dinner to show how the roast came out, but everyone liked it so I think it was a winner!

I may have gotten myself in a pickle though. The other day Keith told me, "You know bay, roast is my new favorite meal!" Lol, ah!